If you love eggnog, this mocktail is for you! I’ve been playing around with my milk frother for hot and cold drinks (it’s great for topping coffee) and I’ve been wanting to create a yummy drink that’s perfect for holiday parties. I didn’t add alcohol to mine, but you definitely could for a spiked version. These ombre eggnog mocktails get their colour from a natural food colouring, and the layers on top come from frothed milk (when frothed it will sit on top of the eggnog rather than mixing in) and whipped cream. Top with some cute sprinkles or crushed candy canes and add a pretty swizzle stick or party straw for a fun drink for your holiday parties. Cheers friends!

Ingredients (per drink)

1 cup eggnog (for a spiked version swap in Irish cream or add some rum to the eggnog) 😉

1.(If you prefer a chilled drink skip this step). Pour the eggnog into the milk frother and press the heat/ froth button. Once ready, pour into serving glass and repeat to make the desired amount of drinks (tip: this would also make a cute shot- style drink). Add a few drops of food colouring and blend until desired colour is reached (I used about 5- 6 drops of the b’Lure flower extract per drink).

2.Rinse out the frother and remove any eggnog residue and repeat the frothing step with the milk. Pour the frothed milk on top of each drink.

3.Top your mocktail with your favourite toppings and add a party straw + candy cane or swizzle stick for a fun finishing touch.

About the natural food colouring I used for this recipe:

A friend recommended the b’Lure food colouring while we were shopping in a health food store about a month ago and I was excited to try it out (note: this post is not sponsored and I wasn’t provided this product in exchange for having it be included; it’s a genuine recommendation I’m sharing with readers in hopes it will be something they’re interested in trying themselves). I’m always looking to try natural options and have been having fun experimenting with this flower extract for the past month. I’ve been adding it to cocktails and drinks so far, and will be testing it out in holiday baking this year as well. If you’re looking for a natural blue/ green food colouring, this is a great option. When you see all the pretty photos on Instagram and Pinterest with a green/ blue colour, this is likely what has been used. Here’s some info about it:

This is one of those recipes that takes a favourite comfort food- pizza!- and puts a healthy spin on it. Swapping out a traditional crust for slices of zucchini makes for a lighter and more nutritious option without missing out on this meal time fave. Over the Summer we were picking them fresh out of the garden and I could barely keep up with them, so getting a little creative was the result. I shared about these on Instagram Stories the night I made them and they were such a hit that I wanted to post them here on OHP. View Post

Last week I posted about the Lemonade Stand Party that a group of us got together and organized and I wanted to follow up this week with the lemonade popsicles I made. These popsicles are super simple to make and you can either make them with homemade lemonade or use a mix like I did (I used a Lemon Lavender cordial from The Handpicked Home). For a pretty finishing touch I added a fresh sprig of lavender from my garden and used sparkling water instead of regular to make them bubbly. We’ve still got a few weeks left of Summer and these are a perfect sweet treat to cool down with, or serve them up as a refreshing addition to a dessert bar at your next party.

Ingredients

Homemade lemonade or a lemonade mix made with sparkling water instead of regular water or

Fresh sprigs of lavender

Optional: slices of fresh lemon

Directions

Mix up your lemonade to your desired sweetness, using sparkling water instead of regular

Pour into popsicle molds, leaving a little extra room at the top so you can add lavender sprigs and/ or lemon slices, plus the popsicle sticks

Canada has a big birthday coming up this weekend and there’s lots to come to OHP to help celebrate our amazing country turning 150. To kick off the week of patriotic posts, what better than a recipe inspired by the colours of our flag? This red and white parfait is a healthy snack option (that only takes 3 steps to make!) for a Canada Day party or picnic and even though it’s inspired by July 1st, it’s perfect anytime as a great snack of breakfast option. See below for how to make them at home.

Ingredients

Recipe makes two parfaits

– fresh organic strawberries, sliced

– 2 cups organic vanilla yogurt

-chia pudding (see below for instructions)

Directions

Start by making the chia pudding: in a jug or bowl mix 2 cups of organic milk with 1/2 cup of chia seeds (you can also add a tsp of vanilla extract). Stir well and allow to sit for 20 minutes+ or overnight.

2. When the chia pudding is ready build the parfaits by alternating scoops of the vanilla yogurt with the chia pudding and strawberries. Tip: If you want to create distinct layers, use the yogurt as a barrier to help keep the chia pudding from blending in with everything. Ie use a layer of yogurt after each layer of chia pudding and strawberries.

3. Repeat until the jars are full and top with some strawberry slices. Serve & enjoy!

Have you ever tried bison? How about another exotic or game meat? Sometimes stepping out of your culinary comfort zone has a big pay out and these burgers were that for me. If you’re looking for something a little different to grill up this Summer- maybe Dad would love these for Father’s Day, or how about for that Canada Day BBQ?- these won’t disappoint. I love that bison is similar to beef, so it’s not too unfamiliar for those less adventurous, but the meat itself is amazing and these beauties contain no binding (no egg, breadcrumbs, etc). Just good, simple, delicious ingredients. I originally made these as sliders as part of my menu for Will’s surprise 30+1 birthday last month, but wanted to re- create them in full form to share on OHP since they blew away my expectations (read more about the menu at the end of this post). The bison I used for this recipe is from one of my favourite stores that I’ve shopped at for years, Heritage Meats, and after an amazing experience serving up an exotic meats menu for Will’s party, I teamed up with them to recreate and share the recipe. You’ll never look at a beef burger the same way again. Promise.

Ingredients

2 lb ground buffalo/ bison

2 medium yellow onions

1 bulb + 4 cloves of garlic

Aged white cheddar cheese

Pretzel buns (or your favourite burger bun)

10 mushrooms

2 cups arugula

5 large russet potatoes

4 cups organic beef broth

1 tsp organic corn starch

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the russet potatoes and slice into large fries. Toss in a bowl with some olive oil and salt and pepper until evenly coated. Shake onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until golden brown/ slightly charred (approx 45 minutes to one hour). Turn the fries after 1/2 an hour in the oven.

2. Slice the top off the bulb of garlic and remove any excess outer layers, making sure it maintains it’s shape. Place on a piece of tin foil and drizzle with olive oil. Roast the garlic for approx 45 minutes to 1 hour, until golden brown and soft. If you have room in your oven, place it on another rack while the fries cook, otherwise roast the garlic separately ahead of time.

2. While the fries are cooking, finely dice one of the onions and crush the cloves of garlic. In a large bowl, combine onion and garlic with the ground buffalo. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix well.

3. Form the mixture into patties 1/2″ thick and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Either cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to cook or cook immediately.

4. When ready, bring your BBQ or grill to medium heat and space the patties evenly over the heat. Flip after 5- 7 minutes and grill until cooked through (approx 10- 15 minutes total at medium heat). Place some slices of the aged white cheddar on the burgers a few minutes before they’re ready if you prefer melted cheese.

5. While the burgers are cooking, heat a tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan over medium/ high heat. Slice the remaining onion and mushrooms and sauté them separately (don’t clean the pan!). Set aside until ready to build the burgers. In the same pan, heat the 4 cups of organic beef broth and add the cornstarch to thicken slightly (if desired) to make the au jus for dipping (so, SO good!). The beef broth will absorb some of the flavours left over from the onions and mushrooms and make for some tasty dipping.

5. To build the burgers, scoop some Dijon mustard and mayo onto the buns, along with some of the roasted garlic. Next add the sautéed mushrooms and onion, followed by the burger patty. Top off with slices of the aged white cheddar (if you haven’t already melted it on) and arugula. Secure the top of the bun with a bamboo skewer and serve with the fries (and au jus, if desired). Now just try going back to your regular beef burger. 😉

This is a delicious twist on a traditional beef burger and one you’ll hopefully love making throughout the year. If serving with the au jus, cutting the burgers in half once built makes dipping easier and (slightly) less messy.

More about that exotic meats menu…

Last month I surprised Will with a 30+ 1 party (aka a belated 30th) and when it came time to plan the menu I knew I wanted to do something different, a little crazy even. I thought it over and ultimately decided to go with a menu that was waaay different than anything I had ever done before, something totally out of my comfort zone and experience: a menu made up of a variety of exotic meats. I know of restaurants that serve up protein that’s less common than our typical beef and chicken and I had a hunch one of my favourite stores might be able to help me plan the menu. I’ve shopped at Heritage Meats since they opened in 2003- way before kids, going gluten- free, etc- because I love their passion for food and the quality selection they offer. I called to find out what they carried and I wasn’t disappointed, ultimately deciding on a selection of five to try: crocodile, buffalo, kangaroo, boar, and camel- cooked up in different recipes and served alongside some BBQ chicken just in case our families weren’t in an adventurous mood. I didn’t play it safe, I Googled and Googled and Googled how to cook the different meats (and no one got food poisoning, yay!) and Will loved the crazy menu. This was some of the most fun I’ve had with food in a while and I couldn’t have pulled it off so calmly if it weren’t for the advice and help from a few of the staff members at Heritage Meats.

Please note this post is not sponsored or endorsed. I have shopped at this store since it opened in 2003 and they were the first place I thought of when I decided on an exotic menu for Will’s birthday. When I originally called to ask for help narrowing down the menu, the service and help I received both over the phone prior to visiting and in- store was exceptional (and I did not mention I was a blogger to try to get ‘special attention’). This has always been my experience with the staff of this store and it led me to reach out to them to partner on this recipe. They kindly provided the buffalo and aged cheddar cheese to help me recreate the recipe I served at Will’s birthday and I whole- heartedly recommend you check them out online to learn more and pay them a visit. Whether you’re passionate about food and care about it’s quality, or seek specialty products, this store is a destination worth the drive and the staff will be the finishing touch of a great shopping experience. It’s been a pleasure shopping with them over the past 13+ years and even more so partnering with them here on OHP. Shops like this keep my love for food alive and I’m so grateful to them for their dedication to what they do.

About Heritage Meats

Located in Langley, BC, Heritage Meats specializes in gourmet, high- quality, and specialty foods including gluten- free, organic, and premium quality meats. Since opening in 2003, it’s become a destination, offering a selection of everything from deli items, pantry staples, and meat to gourmet and specialty items (including exotic meats!) hard to find in most stores. All of the meat and poultry carried in the store is non- medicated- no hormones, antibiotics, or animal by- products- and the friendly staff can help you with any questions you may have.

In addition to the exotic meats mentioned in this post, they also carry a selection of other quality meat and deli items: